Conveyer drive for glass-annealing leers



June 17, 1930. H. w. lNGLE CONVEYER DRIYE FOR GLASS ANNEALING LEERS 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1927 w M by Attorney June 17, 1930-. H. w. INGLE couvzum muvE FOR GLASS ANNEALING LEERS Filed Jan. 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor fiemyl M [fly/e by 4. Afim/ Attorney Patented in, 17', 1930 PATENT OFFICE HENRY W. INGLE, OF WEST HARTFORD,

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HARTFORD- IEMPIRE COMPANY, 01! HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01 DELAWARE CONVEYEB DRIVE FOB GLASS-HEALING LEEDS Application 111m January 29, 1921. sermro. 164,457.

This invention relates to apparatus for annealing glassware and it has particular relation to leers of the type embodying a heated tunnel through which ware is transported by an endless conveyer of woven 'wire fabric and in which the-ware is subjected to suitable temperature environments in order to first relieve stresses and strains existingtherein, and then to cool the ware so that additional strains will not be set up. Such an apparatus is disclosed in the Mulholland Patent No. 1,560,481 of the Hartford-Empire Company, dated November 3, 1925.

In glass annealin leers employing an endless belt conveyer o woven wire fabric which is maintained in operative engagement with a driving drum or roll by means of a takeup or tightening roller in the slack strand 1 difiiculty is encountered in maintaining the Conversely,

' as a result, when the leer in operation,

' to maintam proper frictional contact betweenthe cons veyer and the driving drum or roll under changing temperatures. This is by reason of the fact that the tightening roll causes tension inboth the ware bearing strand and the idle-or return strand of the conveyer and is initially placed the belt, as it lengthens with the rising temperature of the tunnel, has a tendency to slilplon the driving drum unless the take-up ro is adjusted from time to time to maintain the necessary slack side :tension; when the operation-of the leer is discontinued, there is a tendency for the conveyer to become unduly stressed as it shortens with the lowering temperatures of the tunne unless the tightening roll is loosened. variable tension on the conveyer is not easily observed and there. is a possibility that'the operator will not reme y conditions 13' suitable adjustment of the tightening ro slippage actuall occurs-or until the belt is unduly stretche Moreover, the load belt in any given cross-section of the tunnel, where the conveyer imposed on the conveyer in that portion by reason ,of its-high temperature is relativel lastic and most likely to become stretch i overloaded, is equal to the initial tension necessa suitable frictional contact wi a driving drum, plus the tension necessary to overcome the friction between the idle or return strand of the conveyer and its supports, plus the tensionnecessary to overcome the the ware-bearing strand of the conveyer located between the section of the conveyer under consideration and the point of loading and the floor of the tunnel. The friction between the idle strand of the conveyer and its supports is small, being the result of its weight alone, and the friction caused by the load on the portion of the ware-bearing strand of the conveyer located between the section under discussion and the point of loading, is also relatively small, being the result of the weight of only a small portion of the total weight of the ware being transported through the tunnel. However, by

friction caused by the load on that portion of reason of the fact that the area of contact between the drum and the conveyer is relatively small in comparison to the area of contact between both the ware bearing and the idle supports,'the friction between the driving drum and the conveyer must be relatively great in'order to maintain suitable driving contact therebetween. To maintain this friction the tension placed on the conveyer belt must be relatively great. It will, therefore, be apparent that t is this latter tension that causes the greatest tendency for the conveyer to become stretched in that section of the tunnel where it is subjected to the highest temperature.'

- One of the objects of the present invention is to'avoid the disadvantages above described by providing a driving mechanism for a conveyer of the woven w1re t rality of drums or rolls a apted to grip the conveyer therebetween and draw the warebearing strand of the conve'iyler through the tunnel by tension exerted 'rectly on such portion of the conveyor, thus notonly maintaining a constant tension'on the ware-bearing strand oftheconveyer independently of the expansion or the contraction thereof with changes in temperature without the utilization of tightenmg rolls for the accomplishment of such urpose, but entirely eliminating the initia tension exerted on the idle strands of the conveyer and their having a pluv ,8 between. The drum 73 and the ro er 75 strand of the conveyer inherent to driving mechanisms employing such rolls, and as a' consequence, lessening the tendency to stretch the conveyer in. that portion of the tunnel where it is the hottest and most plastic.

Other obj, ots will appear from the following description. l

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical longixo tudinal sectional view of a leer constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the conveyer driving mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an end elevationalview of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the conveyer driving mechamsm taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a' vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the construction of the mechanism for taking up excess slack in the idle strand of the conveyer belt; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical vertical longitudinal sectional view through the driving drum and binding roll.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1 as comprising a sectional tunnel A; a fire box B, located beneath the forward or ware-receiving end of the tunnel; aplurality of heating flues G, communicating with a fire box and extending longitudinally beneath the tunnel; a plurality of cooling flues D, extending longitudinally above the tunnel; a draft producing device E, .specificall a suction fan located above the exit en of the tunnel and communicating and the cooling flues a ware sortin table F, located at the en't end of the tunne an endless conveyer G, of open work or wire mesh fabric, the ware-bearing strand of which traverses the tunnel and the sorting table F, and g the idle strand of which returns to the entrance end of the tunnel beneath the leer and a conveyer driving mechanism H.

The conveyer driving mechanism H, which is the subject of the present invention, is mounted in a frame which also constitutes the support for the frame 69 of the sorting table F. The conveyer G, as it eme es from the tunnel, traverses the sorting table where it is sup rted by a plurality .of spaced rollers 71. B pon reaching the end of the sorting table, the conveyer passes over a. roller 72 journaled in the frame 70, and thence for- .wardly and around a drivin drum 73 which is mounted on a shaft 74 ournaled in the frame 70. At the point where the conveyer .10 leaves the drum 73, it passes over and rearwardly around a bindin roll 75 which is joumaled at its end in sli e v ed in ways 77, and which, together with the drum 73, positively grips the conve er thereare with" both the heating flues blocks 76, mountprovided with resilient anti-slipping covermgs 78 and 79 respectively, composed of rubber or the like, so as to present a yielding tractive surface to the fabric of the conveyer and to insure a positive gripping contact therewith. The roller 75 is maintained in gripping contact with the conveyer belt G y Jack screws 80 which are threaded in the ways 77 and which blocks 76.

The drum 73 and the binding roll 75 are rotated by a sprocket wheel 81 which is driven in any preferred manner. The sprocket wheel 81 is mounted on a shaft 82 which carries a worm 83 meshing with wworm wheel 83 carried by a shaft 84. A pinion 85 is also fixed to the shaft 84 and meshes with a gear wheel 86 mounted on a shaft 87. A pinion 88 is also keyed to the shaft 87 and meshes with a gear wheel-89 fixed to the drum 73. The gear wheel 89 meshes with a ar wheel 90 fixed bear against the slide to the roller 75 whereby 0th the drum and the roller are driven at the speed.

The conveyer belt G, after passing around the roller 75, passes forwardly and beneath a roller 91, and thence upwardly and rearwardly over' a take-up roller 92. The take-up roller 92 is mounted on a shaft 93 provided with gear wheels 94 at each end, which are mounted on rack bars 94 carried by the bars 69 which constitute the framework of the sorting table F. =By rotating the shaft 93 by means of a handle 95, the roller 92 maybe shifted longitudinally of the table F to take up any excess slack in the conveyer. After leaving the roller 93 the conveyer belt G passes upwardly and forwardly over a roller 96 journaled inthe bars 69, and thence forwardly beneath the leer tunnel where it 1s supported at intervals by rollers 97 WhlCh are mounted on the pedestals which support the leer.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have'provided a very rugged and pos1t1ve driving mechanism for a conve er of the woven wire type and one that wi maintain the proper tension on the belt under all normal operating conditions and independently of any tension exerted by the take-up roll 92, this roll being employed solely for the purpose of taking up excess slack in the conveyer belt developed through permanentelongation due to wear, and not for the purpose of causing thebelt to frictionally engage the driving drum 73.

Any temporary elongation or shortening in the length of the belt is accommodated by the catenaries between the rollers 97 (Fig. 1) which support the idle strand of the conveyer.

The roller 75 is arranged so that it mainsame peripheral "wins the conveyer in engagement with a the de justing tact with said drum through a major portion a of the periphery thereof, said drum and said roller being both positively driven, whereby to provide a 2. The combination with. a conveyer of woven wire fabric for transporting articles of glassware, of a drum of relativelylarge diameter, provided with a resilient anti-slip-- ping coverlngfor driving said conveyer, and the roller disposed remote from the line of tangency of said conveyer and said drum for maintaining said conveyer in driving engagement with that portion of the conveyer engaging surface of said drum located between said roller and said line oftangency, said veyer for transporting glass annealing leer, o adriving 'drum of relatively large diameter and a roll of relatively small dlameter located at the discharge end of said conveyer and adapted to grip the conveyer thereoetween, and means for driving said drum and roller at the same .pe-.

ripheral speed to draw the ware-bearing strand of the conveyer through the leer under tension exerted only on the ware-bearing strand of said conveyer. v

Signed at Hartford, Conn., this 27th day of- January, 1927.

HENRY W, INGLE.

largesurface of driving contact for said conveyer.

drum and said roller being positively driven, a whereby to provide a large surface of driving contact for said conveyer.

3. .The pombination. wlth an "endless conveyer of wire mesh fabric for transporting articles of glassware,

of a pluralityof rolls for driving said conveyer and adapted to grip said conveyer therebetween, means .for a the rolls toward and away from one another, whereby tension is exerted on the ware-bearing strand of said conveyer without exerting tension on the slack or idle strand thereof, and means for driving said rolls, whereby to provide a large surface of driv' contact for said conveyer.

4. T e combination with an endless conveyer of wire mesh fabric for trans rting glassware, of a plurality of rolls for. riving said conveyer and ada ted to grip the con veyer therebetween, sli e bearings for one of said rolls, means for adjusting a portion of late the force with which conveyer, and means for said bearings to re the rolls ip sai driving said rolls, surface of driving contact for said conveyer.

5. The combination with an endless conveyer adapted for transporting glassware through a glass annealing leer, of a plurality of rollers for driving said conveyer and adapted to grip the conveyer. therebetween, intermeshing gear wheels carried by said rollers for causing said rollers tolrotate at the same peripheral speed, and means for applying power to both of said rollers.

whereby to provide alarge I The combination with'an' endless con I lassware through a 

